Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions in Colorado

The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm criminal defense attorneys in Colorado who defend people charged with interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.

Interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions is defined in C.R.S. 18-9-109 which defines interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions as follows:

C.R.S. 18-9-109, Colorado’s Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions Statute

In Colorado a person commits interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions defined as:

(1) No person shall, on or near the premises or facilities of any educational institution, willfully deny to students, school officials, employees, and invitees:

(a) Lawful freedom of movement on the premises;

(b) Lawful use of the property or facilities of the institution;

(2) No person shall, on the premises of any educational institution or at or in any building or other facility being used by any educational institution, willfully impede the staff or faculty of such institution in the lawful performance of their duties or willfully impede a student of the institution in the lawful pursuit of his educational activities through the use of restraint, abduction, coercion, or intimidation or when force and violence are present or threatened.

(3) No person shall willfully refuse or fail to leave the property of or any building or other facility used by any educational institution upon being requested to do so by the chief administrative officer, his designee charged with maintaining order on the school premises and in its facilities, or a dean of such educational institution, if such person is committing, threatens to commit, or incites others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with, or obstruct the lawful missions, processes, procedures, or functions of the institution.

(4) It shall be an affirmative defense that the defendant was exercising his right to lawful assembly and peaceful and orderly petition for the redress of grievances, including any labor dispute between an educational institution and its employees, any contractor or subcontractor, or any employee thereof.

(5) Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section, except subsection (1) or (6) of this section, commits a class 2 misdemeanor.

(b) A person who violates subsection (1) of this section commits a petty offense.

(6) Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a) A person shall not knowingly make or convey to another person a credible threat to cause death or to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon against:

(I) A person the actor knows or believes to be a student, school official, or employee of an educational institution; or

(II) An invitee who is on the premises of an educational institution.

(b) For purposes of this subsection (6), “credible threat” means a threat or physical action that would cause a reasonable person to be in fear of bodily injury with a deadly weapon or death.

(7) For purposes of this section, the premises, facilities, and buildings of an educational institution do not include the private residence of a student who is participating in online instruction, as defined in section 22-1-131 (2).

Possible Penalties for Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions in Colorado

Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions

C.R.S. 18-9-109(5)(b)

C.R.S. 18-9-109(5)(a)

C.R.S. 18-9-109(6)(c)

Possible Penalties

Petty Offense

Up to 10 days in jail; and/or
$300 fine;
Restitution

Class 2 Misdemeanor

Up to 120 days in jail; or
Probation; and/or
$750 fine;
Restitution

Class 1 Misdemeanor

364 days jail; or
Probation;
And up to a $1,000 fine;
Restitution

Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions

(Click Links Below To See Penalties)

C.R.S. 18-9-109(5)(b)

C.R.S. 18-9-109(5)(a)

C.R.S. 18-9-109(6)(c)

Possible Penalties

Petty Offense

Up to 10 days in jail; and/or
$300 fine;
Restitution

Class 2 Misdemeanor

Up to 120 days in jail; or
Probation; and/or
$750 fine;
Restitution

Class 1 Misdemeanor

364 days jail; or
Probation;
And up to a $1,000 fine;
Restitution

Defenses to Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions in Colorado

General Denial

The accused will be acquitted if the prosecution cannot prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. When the accused raises a general denial defense, the accused denies that the criminal elements of the offense exist. General denial is related to the failure of proof defense. The failure of proof defense arises when the accused pokes holes in the prosecution’s case and argues that the prosecution failed to prove each and every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

First Amendment – Free Speech, Right to Assemble, and Protest Defense to Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Art. II. Section 7 of the Colorado Constitution protects an individual’s right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. These rights are instrumental in allowing citizens to express their views and to protest without fear of government interference.

The right to peaceful protest is closely tied to the freedom of speech. This means that individuals have the right to express their views, even if they are controversial or unpopular, without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to assemble peaceably is also protected, allowing people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their ideas.

When interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions charges arise out of protest or speech related activities, in certain circumstances the accused can raise a free speech, right to assemble and protest defense. This defense involves arguing that the actions taken were a form of protected speech or assembly. Free speech defenses involve a complex fact specific inquiry that depends heavily on the details of the case, including the nature of the advocacy, the intent of the individual, and the impact on the audience. In certain circumstances, the First Amendment can be a powerful defense to interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.

Mistaken Identity

Mistaken identity is a general denial defense that attacks the element of who committed the alleged offense. As the prosecution is required not only to prove that the offense happened, but that the person charged committed the offense, the mistaken identity defense can be an effective way to challenge the prosecution on the element of who committed the crime. In the context of an interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions case, mistaken identity defenses usually arise when the accused is arrested and charged with disobedience to public safety orders in riot conditions after the alleged offense happened or when the accused is identified after a chaotic situation where eyewitness accounts are not trustworthy. Mistaken identity cases often involve witness misidentification issues, poor witness perception issues, inaccurate, improper, or biased police identification procedures, grainy surveillance videos, and mistaken eyewitness accounts.

Alternate Suspect

The alternate suspect defense occasionally arises in interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions cases. When the accused raises the alternate suspect defense, he or she does so to cast doubt on the identity element of the offense. In other words, the alternate suspect defense is used to cast doubt on the prosecution’s evidence that the accused committed the crime. By raising the alternate suspect defense, the accused casts doubt on the identity element of offense by raising the possibility that another person committed the offense rather than the accused. In Colorado interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions trials the admissibility of alternate suspect evidence will depend on “the strength of the connection between the alternate suspect and the charged crime. If there is a non-speculative connection or nexus between the alternate suspect and the crime charged, the evidence will be admissible.”

If the defense introduces “alternate suspect” evidence, the judge must “look to whether all the similar acts and circumstances, taken together, support a finding that the same person was probably involved in both the other act and the charged crime.” If the judge finds that the accused has presented evidence sufficient to support a finding that an alternate suspect committed the crime, the accused can have the jury consider this evidence in their deliberations. While the alternate suspect defense is seldom used in interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions cases, certain circumstances will give rise to the availability of this defense.

Duress

Under Colorado’s duress statute C.R.S. 18-1-708, a person may not be convicted of an offense, other than a class 1 felony, based upon conduct in which he engaged at the direction of another person because of the use or threatened use of unlawful force upon him or upon another person, which force or threatened use thereof a reasonable person in his situation would have been unable to resist. This defense is not available when a person intentionally or recklessly places himself in a situation in which it is foreseeable that he will be subjected to such force or threatened use thereof. The choice of evils defense, provided in section 18-1-702, shall not be available to a defendant in addition to the defense of duress provided under this section unless separate facts exist which warrant its application.

Entrapment

Under Colorado’s entrapment statute, C.R.S. 18-1-709, the commission of acts which would otherwise constitute an offense is not criminal if the defendant engaged in the proscribed conduct because he was induced to do so by a law enforcement official or other person acting under his direction, seeking to obtain evidence for the purpose of prosecution, and the methods used to obtain that evidence were such as to create a substantial risk that the acts would be committed by a person who, but for such inducement, would not have conceived of or engaged in conduct of the sort induced. Merely affording a person an opportunity to commit an offense is not entrapment even though representations or inducements calculated to overcome the offender’s fear of detection are used.

Choice of Evils

Under Colorado’s choice of evils statute, C.R.S. 18-1-702 (1) conduct which would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable and not criminal when it is necessary as an emergency measure to avoid an imminent public or private injury which is about to occur by reason of a situation occasioned or developed through no conduct of the actor, and which is of sufficient gravity that, according to ordinary standards of intelligence and morality, the desirability and urgency of avoiding the injury clearly outweigh the desirability of avoiding the injury sought to be prevented by the statute defining the offense in issue.

(2) The necessity and justifiability of conduct under subsection (1) of this section shall not rest upon considerations pertaining only to the morality and advisability of the statute, either in its general application or with respect to its application to a particular class of cases arising thereunder. When evidence relating to the defense of justification under this section is offered by the defendant, before it is submitted for the consideration of the jury, the court shall first rule as a matter of law whether the claimed facts and circumstances would, if established, constitute a justification.

Statute of Limitations for Interference With Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions in Colorado

In Colorado the statute of limitations for commencing criminal charges against a person is governed by C.R.S. Section 16-5-401. The statute of limitations for commencing criminal charges for interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions in Colorado is as follows:

Misdemeanor interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions charges must be filed within 18 months. C.R.S. 16-5-401(1)(a.5)
Petty interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions charges must be filed within 6 months. C.R.S. 16-5-401(1)(a.5)

Legal References

C.R.S. 18-9-109 https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_18-9-109

Contact the Attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm to Fight for You Today

If you’ve been charged with interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions contact the attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm to vindicate your rights and protect your liberties. If you’re facing criminal charges or fear you may be charged, time is of the essence. Start Your Free Criminal Defense Case Quote. By retaining Rights & Liberties Law Firm you can rest assured that:

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The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm are skilled negotiators. If you’ve made a mistake we will leave no stone unturned in presenting mitigation to contextualize your circumstances. We will obtain information and prepare a mitigation presentation or report to the prosecutor to present you in your best light and show the state and the judge that despite your mistakes you’re a dignified human being worthy of leniency and redemption. We will protect you from the overly punitive instincts of the criminal legal system and obtain the best plea bargain possible.
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